New Study “Confirm the Anxiolytic-Like Properties of CBD”

A new study published by the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry “confirm the anxiolytic-like [anti-anxiety] properties of CBD”.

“Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the non-psychotomimetic compounds of Cannabis sativa, causes anxiolytic-like effects in animals, with typical bell-shaped dose-response curves”, states the study’s abstract. “No study, however, has investigated whether increasing doses of this drug would also cause similar curves in humans. The objective of this study was to compare the acute effects of different doses of CBD and placebo in healthy volunteers performing a simulated public speaking test (SPST), a well-tested anxiety-inducing method.”

A total of 57 healthy male subjects were allocated to receive oral CBD at doses of 150 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg or placebo in a double-blind procedure. “During the SPST, subjective ratings on the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) and physiological measures (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate) were obtained at six different time points.”

Compared to placebo, pretreatment with 300 mg of CBD s”ignificantly reduced anxiety during the speech. No significant differences in VAMS scores were observed between groups receiving CBD 150 mg, 600 mg and placebo.”

Researchers conclude; “Our findings confirm the anxiolytic-like properties of CBD and are consonant with results of animal studies describing bell-shaped dose-response curves. Optimal therapeutic doses of CBD should be rigorously determined so that research findings can be adequately translated into clinical practice.”

The full text of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Hebrew University in Israel, can be found by clicking here.

Anthony Martinelli

Anthony is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheJointBlog. He has worked closely with numerous elected officials who support cannabis law reform, including as the former Campaign Manager for King County (WA) Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. He has been published by multiple media outlets, and is a former contributor for Village Voice Media.